Sorry this chapter took so long! I got busy all of a sudden. Well, thanks for all the reviews guys, they were very encouraging :) And here is the next chapter!
"Obviously she can't come with us. Have you lost your mind?"
"Have you lost yours? Obviously she can't go back. She's a traitor because of me." Mary watched as Peter and Edmund faced each other yelling, feeling useless as the two brothers argued to determine her fate.
"Listen, I get that she helped you and all, but how do you know this isn't a trap? Miraz would do anything to find where we're hiding. What if she," Peter said, looking over to Mary and pointing. "What if she is his plan? His next move? What if she leads the Telmarines right to us?"
"I wouldn't let that happen-"
"You wouldn't have any control over what happened!"
"I just wish you would stop treating me like a child and acting like I don't know what I'm doing. Aslan didn't name just you king-"
"Well he recognized me as the high king because he knew better than any other that you weren't ready to be a leader. You don't know what you're doing because you never think, you just act and you leave everyone else to fix your mistakes."
"Oh, and like you never make mistakes! You might think you're perfect, being the high king and all, but have you forgotten that we weren't the ones who saved Narnia from the white witch? That was Aslan. We are nothing without him, so stop acting like you know what you're doing. Like any of us know what we're doing! If we did, all those Narnians wouldn't have gotten trapped and killed back there-"
"You weren't even there!" Peter yelled, pushing Edmund back. Edmund and Peter stared at each other in silence for a moment before Edmund started moving forward, but Mary decided to intervene and placed her hand on Edmund's chest, pushing him back and blocking him as she turned to face Peter.
"You don't understand, if I go back my father will kill me just like he killed my friend. I can't go back; I don't want to." Peter looked at Mary and then past her at Edmund.
"No, that's not my problem." Peter grabbed Mary's arm and started walking, pulling her behind him.
"Peter, stop! You're not giving her a fair chance-"
"Oh really? This friend she mentioned, the one her father killed, did you actually see her?"
"No," Edmund responded, catching up to Peter and standing in front of him. "So what?"
"How do you know it really happened? How can you be sure it wasn't part of some plan Miraz had made to convince you that she needed to leave? Huh?" Peter tried to move past Edmund but he stepped in his way again.
"I heard her scream. It was real. There was no way it was just part of a plan to fool me-"
"Edmund, she can't be trusted. We have no reason-"
"She saved me! Is that not enough? She's the only reason I'm standing in front of you now and you're trying to take her back? She had no reason to believe we could be trusted when she left, but she came anyway. Don't make her wrong." Peter's grip slowly loosened until he pulled her forward and pushed her towards Edmund, turning around and walking back the way they had come.
"Then she's your responsibility."
"Come on," Edmund whispered, taking her hand and helping to lead her as they found their way in the dark, coming across strips of moonlight that only showed Mary the tension the two brothers had caused each other, which was evident on their faces.
"Where are we going?" Edmund asked after they had been walking for a while, although the darkness left Mary unsure about how far they had really traveled.
"It shouldn't be much farther. Somewhere up ahead I have our horses tied to a tree. We can ride them back to the hideout. I only brought two since I wasn't expecting any guests, but I assume there will be no problem with you sharing yours." Edmund kept quiet as they continued to walk, trying to prevent another fight.
"There they are," Peter stated, directing Edmund and Mary to the horses. He took out a knife, catching Edmund's attention, but put his hand up before he was questioned. He used the knife to make a tear in his shirt and then ripped it the rest of the way, folding it and handing it to Edmund.
"If she's coming, blindfold her."
"You can't be serious, Pete."
"I am serious. It's either this or we treat her like a prisoner when we get back. If she wears a blindfold then we can be sure she doesn't know how to get back to the castle and tell them how to find us. It's the only way she's coming."
"This is ridiculous! You can't-"
"Edmund, it's okay," Mary spoke up, touching his arm and nodding. "If that's what it takes, to me it is nothing. Like I said before, whatever it takes."
"You heard her. Tie it on; make sure she can't see." Edmund looked at the cloth in his hands and then at Mary who closed her eyes. He stepped behind her and pulled the cloth over her eyes, tying it in the back. "Help her get on the horse and then we can leave." Peter placed his foot in the stirrup and jumped onto the horse's back, keeping the reigns tight so it didn't move. Edmund got on his horse then reached down for Mary's hand, pulling her up behind him. Peter kicked his horse forward once he saw that she was settled, Edmund kicking his to follow. As it jolted forward, Mary pulled herself close to Edmund by wrapping her arms around his middle in order to keep her balance.
"Have you ever been on a horse?" Edmund asked when he noticed she didn't loosen her grip.
"No, and I can't say the blindfold makes it easier."
"Right." Edmund kicked the horse again to catch up with Peter, the sudden movement causing Mary to grip him tighter.
Edmund kept his horse behind Peter's, neither of them speaking a word. The quiet and the dark, as well as the steady movement of the horse, slowly reminded Mary of her exhaustion, emotionally and physically. She wasn't sure how long they would have to travel, but after about an hour she gave up trying to stay awake. She carefully rested her head against Edmund's back and allowed herself to fall asleep, forgetting for a moment the anxiety she had at the thought of meeting, but more importantly seeing, the Narnians. She remembered her reaction when she first saw the creatures from her window, and how she had been so terrified she felt sick. She couldn't act that way this time, or they all may reject her as quickly as Peter had. She was a Telmarine, and they hated the Telmarines.
Edmund knew Mary had fallen asleep; he noticed when her hands didn't hold onto him as tightly and her weight became heavier against his back. He glanced behind him to make sure they weren't being followed, taking the opportunity to look at Mary too. Sleeping she seemed peaceful, but Edmund feared he had gotten her caught up in the middle of a war she would soon have to face, and he hoped she would be able to give her loyalty to a world she had only heard of days before.
"You said he escaped? Is he being followed?" Miraz stuck the tip of his knife into the table and spun it around, looking up at the soldier.
"We sent some men out to follow him, but we can't be sure. He's smart, he may have seen them by now." Miraz continued to spin the knife and watched as it carved a small hole in the wood.
"Is there something else?" The soldier took in a shaky breath as Miraz stood up, focused on him. "What is it?" he asked slowly.
"Your daughter helped him escape. She—she left with him."
"Miraz!" his wife gasped, waiting for her husband's reaction.
"Impossible. He must have forced her, threatened her in some way. The young king kidnapped my daughter-"
"Sir, the boy didn't kill the guards. When they came to, they told us what happened. They said the princess helped him escape and left with him-"
"I heard you the first time. You and the other guards are accusing the princess, my daughter, of treason, you understand? She is incapable of such an offense. Say that again and I will have you and any of the others who doubt Mary executed before morning! Do you understand?" Miraz shouted, pulling the knife up and stabbing it back into the table so it stood on its own. He let go of it and walked around to the front of the table, approaching the man until he was near his face. "Follow the boy and find where they are hiding so we can bring my daughter home. Then," he said leaning closer and carefully enunciating each word. "We will kill every one of them."
"Yes, my king." The man bowed his head and backed out the door, disappearing around the corner. Miraz ran his hand down his chin and over his beard, sitting back heavily in his chair and pulling the knife out of the table.
"This is your fault," his wife whispered from her chair in the corner, pulling her blanket around her and looking out the window.
"What did you say? And I advise you answer with caution."
"You know it's true, Miraz. You messed up. Your plan pushed her farther away instead of keeping her here. She hates you because of what you've done, and she's not coming back."
"Watch your tongue-"
"And Ana? That was you, wasn't it? I can't believe this." She stood from her chair and dropped the blanket, covering her mouth with her hands and pacing the room.
"You are accusing your king of murder," Miraz stated irritated, getting up and blocking his wife's pacing. She stopped where she was and addressed him directly, pushing her finger into his chest.
"Have you forgotten that more importantly you are my husband-" Miraz hit her hard across the face, grabbing her chin and pulling her face back to him, ignoring the tears that had fallen.
"I am your king above everything else. I am your king!" She pulled her face out of his grasp and stepped back, covering where he had hit her with her hand.
"Above everything else, Miraz, you are a monster."
I hope this was worth the wait! I'm excited for the next few chapters because I'm going to loosely follow the movie, so get ready for that. First Mary has to meet the rest of his family, Caspian, and the Narnians, which will be interesting. I plan to update quicker this time, like in a few days. Thanks again for all the reviews last chapter :)